Following the success of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," Christians in Hollywood are calling the nation to prayer for the entertainment industry. The first annual National Media Prayer Breakfast, to be held October 1 at The Beverly Hilton, will feature celebrities and top producers, directors and decision-makers. The breakfast organizers have invited--and will support in prayer--the media's 365 most powerful people.
Sponsored by Mastermedia International, the event will celebrate the organization's fifteenth year mobilizing prayer for the top leaders in American media through its Media Leader Prayer Calendar. The calendar is distributed quarterly to more than 50,000 people, is available worldwide online, and is the most widely-recognized prayer guide of its type. It has been featured in "People" magazine, "Daily Variety," on National Public Radio and in the story line of NBC's hit TV series "West Wing."
"For decades, the nation has been called to prayer for leaders in government and education at breakfasts in Washington and other major cities," says Dr. Larry Poland, chairman and CEO of Mastermedia International. "But no people influence the world like media's decision-makers. We have been seeing a spiritual renaissance in media both before and since Mel Gibson's film, and now is the time to focus prayer for those who run global media." Poland believes supportive prayer is a positive alternative to what he calls "anger strategies" such as boycotts and protests directed at the entertainment community in the past.
The morning of breakfast and prayer will be held in the International Ballroom of The Beverly Hilton in the heart of Beverly Hills and is being held in alliance with the Hollywood Prayer Network, a grassroots prayer ministry for professionals, and by professionals in Hollywood. "An event like this is overdue," says HPN director Karen Covell. "We couldn't be more thrilled to be sharing in this effort to call America and the world to pray for those who influence the values and cultures of our planet. They need our prayer support and God's guidance."
Mastermedia is a nonprofit media organization committed to serving media leaders with professional consulting regarding America’s Christian market and personal counsel concerning issues of faith. Since 1985, Mastermedia has provided counsel, research, and bridges of communication for executives from over 400 media companies worldwide on a variety of issues concerning the relationship between faith and media. Mastermedia’s clients include decision-makers from ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, Disney, DreamWorks SKG, Sony, Paramount, Time Warner, AT&T, Hearst Corporation, MTV, Paxson Communications, Sesame Workshop, and Nielsen Media Research.
The National Media Prayer Breakfast is a Christian event open to people of all faiths, and will be produced and directed by George Taweel, veteran of more than 30 years of professional work in TV, video, event, and film production and direction.
